Load-carrying attachment for toy tractors



June 19, 1951 R. o. WARNER 2,557,351

LOAD CARRYING ATTACHMENT FOR TOY TRACTORS .FiledJan. 29, 1949 WARNER I'mventor attorneys Patented June 19, 1 51 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOAD -CARRYING ATTACHMENT FOR TOY TRACTORS Russell 0. Warner, Yakima, Wash.

Application January 29, 1949, Serial No. 73,490

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a load-carrying attachment for toy tractors and, more particularly, is a device for adapting toy tractors to allow materials to be scooped up, elevated, transported and dumped, in simulation of normal and established construction practices.

In the past, scooping devices for toy tractors have been known but those that have come to my attention are built into or onto the toy tractors with which they are associated; or, they have been unduly complicated and, therefore, expensive or they require drums or winches to obtain raising of the load and to permit dumping. For these and other reasons, I have developed the simple and useful device more fully descrilgd hereafter, having in mind the following important objects.

Among the broader objects of my invention has been the provision of a load-carrying attachment for toy tractors, which: is simple and easy to construct and is capable of attachment to a wide variety of toy tractors within the skill of relatively young children; is capable of operation by small infants to scoop, raise, transport and dump materials with quite natural simulation of actual earth-moving equipment; is automatically operable to raise the load-carrying receptacle under normal conditions without requiring winches and the like and the usual pulleys, cords and cables; and is easily caused to tilt anddump the receptacle by a rocking motion imparted at a remote point by the operator and automatically retains the receptacle in its normal load-carrying position and returns it without requiring attendance by the operator.

These and other objects that will be more apparent from the following description are attained by the provision of a clamping means easily mounted upon a toy tractor, preferably on the engine portion thereof, to provide pivotal supports on opposite sides to rockably mount a pair of booms that extend from in front to behind the tractor. A receptacle to carry loads and scoop material is hingedly mounted on the forward ends of the booms and a rotatable crank is mounted on the rear ends of the booms. Between the receptacle and an arm of the crank is a link which translates swinging motion of the crank arm into motion to rock the receptacle on such occasions as dumping is desired. By insuring that the weight of the crank counterbalances the normal weight of the receptacle the latter is automatically raised under normal conditions. Biasing means is included to cause the crank arm to ordinarily pull upon the connecting link and tend to keep the receptacle rocked back to its normal position.

The device in its preferred form is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the loadcarrying attachmentin place on a typical toy tractor to which it is adapted;

Figure 2 is vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is fragmentary perspective view of the load-carrying receptacle of this device; and

Figure 4 is perspective view on the crank means employed to counterweight and rock the loadcarrying receptacle.

A typical type of wheeled tractor with which my device is useful is shown in Figure 1 to comprise the chassis I0 having forward wheels I2, outstanding rear axle housings l4, and wheels 16. A simulated engine portion l 8 overlies the chassis and provides the base to which my attachment is clamped. there is an opening l9 between the chassis l0 and upper part of the engine.

The U-shaped clamp 20, which may be springy, is slipped upward over the chassis of the vehicle as shown in Figure 2 and the like arms 2|, span opening l9. Bolt 24 passes through suitable holes in arms 2i and nuts 26 bear on the outer faces of the arms 2| and press the latter toward the chassis and engine portion to securely grip the same. Bolt 24 is hollow and each end forms a journal for a pivot pin 28 of the longitudinal booms 30, so that these booms may easily rock 1 up and down along the sides of the engine portion of the tractor.

Preferably the forward ends of booms 30 are transversely joined by cross bar 32 which is shown in Figure 3. The receptacle 34, formed of sheet metal or the like, has its back wall 35 hingedly joined by eyes 36 to cross bar 32. In the device shown the receptacle is L-shaped in section and functions as a scoop or pick-up type load carrier that may be charged with material by lowering the same to ground level and pushing it into the material. Such a device will not only carry the material in the raised position, but also will dump it when the receptacle is tilted relative the booms 30 and cross bar 32.

At the rear ends of booms 30, and behind the vehicle, I rotatably mount a crank comprising the roller 40 and radial arms 42, 43. The ends of the roller are counterbored to receive the inturned ends 44 of booms 30. An extension spring 46 is hooked at one end to arm 43 and at the other end to pin 28 of the boom 30 on the far side In the particular tractor shown of the device shown in Figure 1. This spring biases the roller to clock-wise motion in the showing of Figures 1 and 4.

A still link 48 joins arm 42 and the upper portion of receptacle 34 above the hinge connections 36. When the roller 46 is rotated counter-clockwise between a persons forefinger and thumb, as suggested .in dashed lines in Figure 1, pressure is applied to extend spring 46 and to push rod or link 48, causing the receptacle to swing down to dumping position. When such rotative pressure on roller 40 is released, the sprin automatically causes a counter-rotation of the roller and imparts a rearward pull on rod 48 with the result that the receptacle is tilted back to load-carrying position. When the overhanging flange 50 on the upper edge of backwall 35 comes into contact with booms 30, undue rearward rocking of the receptacle is avoided.

The roller 40 and its arms 42, 43, is usually of a weight at least sufficient to counter-balance the weight or" the forward portions of booms 30 ahead of their pivotal suports and of the receptacle 34. In this way the normal position of the receptacle is'that shown in the solid line raised showing of Figure 1. Usually a suitable load in the receptacle can also be raised by the counter-balance.

A child with this device can raise roller 40 to bring receptacle to ground level and push the latter into a pile of sand. By allowing the roller to descend, the receptacle will normally rise until the rear portions of booms 30 abut the axle housings M. The child then can wheel the vehicle wherever he wishes. To dump the sand, he merely rotates the crank as described and the hinged receptacle will tilt and dump its contents.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that changes and alterations may be made in materials used and in the general arrangement of parts, without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined in the subjoined claims. The scope, therefore, of the invention is to be determined by the claims and not by exemplifying statements made in this specification.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A plaything, comprising: a toy tractor including coaxial pivotal supports on each side of said tractor intermediate its ends, a boom extending alon each side of said tractor from in front thereof to therebehind, said booms each being intermediately coupled to one of said pivotalsupports to rock up and down, a receptacle and means hingedly coupling said receptacle to the forward ends of said booms in advance of said tractor, a weighted crank rotatably mounted between'said booms to the'rear of said tractor, a rigid link between an arm of said crank and said receptacle above its point of coupling to impart a rocking motion to the latter when the crank is rotated about its axis, and means for biasing said crank against such rotation and to impart a normal rearward draft upon said link.

2. A plaything according to claim 1, in which the coaxial pivotal supports include a removably attached U-shaped clamp to grip the engine portion of said tractor.

3. A plaything according .to claim 1, in which the receptacle is L -shaped and arranged to scoop material from in advance of said tractor.

4. A plaything according to claim 1, in which the crank has opposed arms thereon and the biasing means is an extension spring between a pivotal support and that arm opposite the one to which thelink is coupled.

5. A load-carrying adapter for toy tractors, comprising: a U-shaped clamp to grip the engine portion-of said tractor and including coaxial oppositely directed pivotal supports positioned on each side of said tractor, an elongated boom intermediately coupled to each pivotal support to rock thereon, a receptacle and means hingedly coupling said receptacle to like ends of said booms, a weighted crank rotatably mounted between said booms on the opposite side of said pivotal support from said receptacle, a link extending between an arm of said crank and said hinged receptacle to impart rocking motion to the latter upon rotation of the former, and means for biasing said crank to impart a normal rearward draft on said link.

6. A plaything according to claim 5 in which the receptacle is L-shaped and arranged to scoop material in advance of a toy tractor when REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 670,315 Eynon Mar. 19, 1901 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,858 Great Britain May 7, 1912 761,428 France Jan. 5, 1934 

